Hey Roy: It’s amazing how the mood you’re in can influence what songs you like at a given time. Today’s one of those days I’ve had 2 hours sleep watching my toddler kids, getting whatever work has to get done, no time for breakfast today. Here I am listening to these very well written tunes. Although they’re all very well recorded and performed, Gotta Get Me Some Of That and Last Time I Go First were the 2 songs that put a smile on face right away. Last Time I Go First had me rolling. So that’s the one for me. Army Man stood out right away as well. It’s painful, but well done.

The Love You Can’t Have is the most elegant for me. The music emotionally supports great lyrics that tell a story. A congruent whole that sends me away effected.

Everything is also a really great song. Understated but right to the point.

before i submit my top three choices i would like to say that i was honored to have had my song The Long Way Home included in this group as one of the “final 8″ in the running for the grand prize. thanks very much.
but here are my choices:
3rd Place - Last Time I Go First
2nd Place - Everything
Grand Prize - Gotta Get Me Some Of That
all three are country radio hits waiting to happen. in my opinion a song does not need to be commercially viable to be considered great. i think i chose these “radio hit” type of songs because winning this contest could really pay off for these writers. had i picked a non-commercially attractive, albeit good song (like mine perhaps?) then winning the grand prize would not have any chance of turning into a windfall for the writer. i would love to hear these three songs on my country radio station, knowing that my grand prize choice wasn’t “wasted”.
that’s my story…and i’m sticking to it. congrats and good luck to the winners and keep writing!

I chose Everything as the Grand Prize Winner. The writer flew in to Dallas for the awards banquet and after meeting her, I am glad she won. She is one of the most down-to-Earth people you will ever meet and deserves every bit of success that comes her way. She is young and has a tremendous songwriting career ahead of her. My second choice was Gotta Get Me Some Of That and third was The Love You Can’t Have.

The Long Way Home
Smiled during the first line of this song. Very descriptive and thought maybe he was writing about my driving habits… Interesting symbolism where he uses his traveling analogies to make a statement about his life and he does it successfully… First verse, “before” and “detour” is the rhyme. Never heard that prior to this… The verses are straightforward and good. Lots of imagery that every listener appreciates…. Chorus is a little tougher to pull off because The Long Way Home or similar concepts have been used a lot past songs. This pulls it off because he weaves real substantial experiences while questioning his life decisions….Thought the line “But my words can go in circles” was interesting and thoughtful. In fact, this entire verse was similar in that sense. Good song. Note: Thought this was James Taylor at first.

Last Time I Go First
One of the more unique hooks I’ve heard in a long time. As I was listening, I was wondering about the evolution of this song and how it came about. If this was an actual experience, it’s great. If it’s strictly created in a writing session, it’s a great songwriter who probably has a lot more songs like this coming… First verse is strong “Double dog daring me…”, “Two hand grip…”, “Let go sooner than I should…” are great visuals… Setup “My life flashed before my eyes” sounds a little stretched lyrically. Maybe another syllable or two in this part. It’s ok the way it is and I wouldn’t change it, unless I was re-cutting. The marriage between melody and lyrics aren’t as strong here… “In my mind, the only thing I heard” is a better setup, still slightly stretched… Chorus is great. The most unique, creative and perfectly delivered hook in this collection… Like I mentioned above, I wouldn’t change much on this. It’s a country hit waiting for label, publisher and artist to find it.

Gotta Get Me Some Of The That
A great concept and execution in this one! The writer is a musician who looking for a new groove. Very fresh! The first verse is about as good as lyrics get today. The imagery, Pontiac, air guitar, red light, peace sign, ZZ Top, etc. is simply fantastic. Everyone one of us can see this happening in our minds and at the same time wish we were doing it… The second verse may be stronger than the first. The description of the corner church singing gospel music and the pastor leading them is illustrated well… Another interesting point is that the song enters the second chorus at 1:20 and is only 2:41 long. A program directors dream… An attention grabbing melodic strength of this song is the “counter point” in the chorus. After the hook is sung, he sings “Let lifes worries roll off my back” and if you removed the lyric this would an good melody on it’s own. Perfect blend of words and music in this chorus… This is current, hot and I’m convinced this would be a hit at radio. Love it and would shop it immediately if it was in my catalog. BTW: Although the production is not taken into consideration, the producer did a pretty good job of creating a groove for this song as well…

Everything
It is so hard to write a relationship song that hasn’t been done before. This does it and in a way that every listener can relate to every line in this song. I commend the writing for creating a masterful pop song… An interesting point to listen to in this song is how the lyric carries the melody in the verses and just the opposite happens in the chorus. Just reading the lyrics in the chorus would not be as interesting as the verses, but the melody really drives it home… The first line “Scented candles, burn your letter to me, leave a message I’m not here”. A great way to make a statement we have all tried to make at one time or another. She also rhymes candles and handle in a very clever way in the first verse… I love the line in the chorus “Everything is fallen”. You would expect that the melody would drop with the “fallen” lyric. You get the sense the writer is sad and happy at the same time about this relationship. “And I can’t remember why I chose to be with you” is an excellent line. Lyrically, the song gets stronger and continues telling the same story in a different way with each line… The melody picks up in the second verse and gets a little more, but not too intense at about 1:38 and surprisingly doesn’t go into the chorus at the end of the second verse. Unexpected and good… This song is a perfect blend of lyric and music. 3:17 is perfect for pop radio.

Heaven and Earth
This instrumental is an uncomplicated melody that wouldn’t leave my brain. After listening through the CD a couple of times, I couldn’t figure out where this tune in my head was coming from. It kept repeating over and over again. On a subsequent listen through the list, I realized that’s what was stuck in my head all day yesterday… The melody is simple, memorable, effortless and unforced. Song structure is straightforward without complexity… Production comment: Playing is rushed at times and almost didn’t consider it because of it. Still love it and would love to hear it again with a new production.

Covered In Red
This song is one of the strongest, most reflective lyrics I have heard in a long time. After the first listen, this was my choice for the winner. I kept humming the chorus… The first line pulls you in immediately. “They won’t wear away, the last words I said”. Curiosity keeps you listening. “I saw your eyes completely filled with dread”. We’ve all seen that look… Covered In Red is the hook. I’m not sure why the song dropped down my list, because I still love it. I don’t think the lyric in the Chorus is as strong as the verse. I felt maybe the chorus could tell more of the “Covered In Red” story, maybe another rhyme instead of repeating the title so many times… Production comment: Although I thought the melody was strong, I didn’t feel the production helps the song. It’s a good production and an average mix, however the song is near great and the production needs the same attention.

The Love You Can’t Have
Strong melody in the chorus makes this song. Ideal marriage between the lyric and music. The melody in the chorus would be strong without the lyrics. The feel of this melody is good and conveys the pain of the singer. It’s one of those songs that could be played on piano, guitar or soloed on wind instruments.

Good storytelling that keeps the listener guessing the relationship between the singer and the singee’. “bitchin’ about him” was a surprise. I thought she would be bitchin’ at the singer. Curious at this point to see where the song was going… You can hear the frustration in lyric and melody in the second verse (“you’re so grateful that I understand”) setup (“about him”) to the second chorus. Very good… Nice melodic change in the bridge. Good length, song 3:36.

Army Man
This was a song that just grew on me. The first time through the list I didn’t really hear it like I’’m hearing it now. Then after listening to it closely, rewinding and listening again, I realized how clever the lyrics are… The first verse refers to the writer’s experience in the army, at least I think it does. One of the later verses tells an experience where a dog ripped his leg off. It took me a while to realize he was referring to those little green army men that I used to play with when I was a kid. Shot 347 times, what a great line for a listener who spent much of his youth playing with those things. This is proof that an acoustic guitar and vocal can get the point across. During my first listen, I thought he should slow down the tempo about 6 BPMs, but after listening several times I got more comfortable with it. Good song.

THE LAST TIME I GO FIRST IS A FINE COUNTRY HONKY TONKER, BUT AS I LISTEN TO IT I CAN’T HELP BUT THINK THAT THERE WERE BETTER SONGS (INCLUDING MINE) THAT COULD HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THIS HONOR. NO SOUR GRAPES, JUST HONEST FEEDBACK.

DERRICK PROCELL

I am always amazed by the depth of songwriting talent showcased by the annual Dallas Songwriters Association song contest. This year was no exception. Thanks to Roy Elkins and the Broadjam team the DSA has been able to reach out to a much broader audience to recognize and reward the best songwriters. Roy provided the same thoughtful analysis and commitment to the artists that have made Broadjam a leader in promoting independent music. Thanks Roy.

Ian Dickson
Dallas Songwriters Association

Covered in Red is an outstanding song. I can imagine it as a soundtrack to a “Once Upn a Time in Mexico” type film. The other songs, although immediately recognisable as Country are predictably good, but that’s all. This song is simply great. My personal favourite. Inspirational, that’s what I say. Good luck to Judith.